The present invention relates generally to drinking straws, and more particularly, to an insulated drinking straw and an insulating member that may be used with a drinking straw to drink hot and cold liquids.
Numerous drinking straws have been designed for use in drinking liquid beverages. There are conventional tubular drinking straws, flexible drinking straws, extendable drinking straws that are used to project into milk and orange juice containers, and straws attached to helmets and other devices.
While such conventional drinking straws are designed for drinking cold liquids, none of these devices are particularly well-suited for drinking hot liquids. In particular, coffee drinkers purchase cups of coffee which are drunk on the way to work or while walking around. The cups have lids on them with an opening or openings in them that permit the person to sip the coffee. However, it is very easy to accidentally spill the coffee when drinking from these types of cups, which results in hot coffee spilling onto clothes and skin.
Another problem is that conventional straws which could be used to drink hot beverages are not insulated. Consequently, one""s fingers can be scalded or at least feel uncomfortable when drinking hot beverages through them.
Accordingly, it is an objective of the present invention to provide for an insulated drinking straw and an insulating member that may be used with a drinking straw to drink liquids, and in particular, hot liquids.
To accomplish the above and other objectives, the present invention provides for an insulated drinking straw that may be used with a conventional drinking straw to consume liquids. The present invention is particularly well-suited for use in drinking hot liquids, especially hot liquids that are normally consumed from a cup or other similar container.
The insulated drinking straw comprises an inner straw, such as an inner tubular plastic straw, for example, that has an outer member that is separated from or provides insulation for the inner tubular plastic straw. For example, in one embodiment, an insulating member may be disposed around a portion of the periphery of the inner tubular plastic straw that is in contact with the inner tubular plastic straw. In another embodiment, an outer tubular member is disposed around a portion of the periphery of the inner tubular plastic straw and is separated therefrom. A plurality of connecting members are used to interconnect the outer tubular member to the inner tubular plastic straw. The connecting members may be in the form of a plurality of ribs or fins that connect the inner straw and the outer tubular member.
The relative cross sections of the outer tubular member and the inner tubular plastic straw may be such that fluid is sipped using the inner tubular plastic straw while the outer tubular member is held by the person drinking the fluid. Also, the outer tubular member may be made so that a persons lips are in contact with it instead of the inner tubular plastic straw.
The insulated drinking straw of the present invention is not limited to any particular cross section. Thus, round, elliptical, square, rectangular, triangular or other shaped straws and outer tubular members may be constructed using the principles of the present invention. The insulating member is typically disposed part way down the shaft of the inner straw away from an end thereof that is placed in the person""s mouth. The insulating member extends a short distance along the shaft of the straw and is used to grip the insulated drinking straw when drinking the fluid. The balance of the straw extends axially away from the insulating member and is inserted into a container holding the fluid.
The insulating member may formed as a second or outer shaft whose outer dimensions are larger than those of the straw. The outer shaft of the insulating member may be formed to have a cross section that matches the cross section of the straw, although this is not absolutely required. The outer shaft is connected to the straw by means of a plurality of ribs or a serpentine member. Other interconnection members may readily be used.
The space between the outer shaft and the straw may be air, or may be filled with or comprise an insulating material. Any suitable insulating material may be used. Typical insulating materials include elastomeric materials, such as butyl, ethylene, propylene, fluorocarbon, fluorosilicone, neoprene, nitrile, silicone and thermoplastic elastomer, polyolefin tubing, polytetrafluroethylene (PTFE), polystyrene, resin, polyurethane, sponge, cellular silicone, and foam, for example.
The insulating member may also be fabricated as a stand-alone device which may be permanently or temporarily attached to a conventional drinking straw. One embodiment of the insulating member comprises an inner shaft and an outer shaft connected by a plurality of ribs or a serpentine member. The space between the inner and outer shafts may be filled with insulating material. The insulating member has a slot formed therein that permits it to be separated or expanded to slide it over the conventional drinking straw to any desired location along the shaft of the straw.
Because the insulating member is flexible, after it is opened and slid over the conventional drinking straw, it will return to its original shape, which compresses the insulating member against the conventional drinking straw. The inner shaft of the insulating member may be coated with adhesive or have an adhesive strip attached thereto which assists in securing the insulating member to the conventional drinking straw. Thus, the insulating member may be removably or adhesively fixed to a conventional drinking straw.
If the insulating material is a compressible insulating material, the separate insulating member does not require the use of a separate inner shaft. In this case, the compressible insulating material is attached to the inner wall of the outer shaft and has an inner opening. The insulating member may be expanded because of the slot so that the opening may slide over the conventional drinking straw. Once it is in place, the expanded insulating member is allowed to relax so that the compressible insulating material grips the conventional drinking straw to hold it in place.
The insulated drinking straw may be used to drink hot liquids, and is inserted into a cup holding a hot beverage, and the insulating member grasped while drinking the hot beverage, without the risk of burning one""s fingers. When the insulated drinking straw is used with a container of hot liquid, there is no need to tip the container to drink the liquid, which minimizes the possibility of accidental spillage. The insulating member also minimizes heat transferred to one""s fingers so that scalding is not an issue. The separate insulating member may be readily used with conventional straws to achieve the same results of the insulated drinking straw.